Your contact information must be legible

No matter how clever or fancy your font, if it's not legible, it's automatically unprofessional, just check out the card on the right! Be sure you choose a font style and size that makes it easy to contact you.

The design must complement your logo

A business card is a small amount of space to say a lot about your product or service. If your design and logo work as a team on your business card, you can bet your card will say the same about your business.  

Make it relevant to your industry......

The more relevant your business card design is to your industry, the more authentic, authoritative and memorable it will be. For example, if you have an Army surplus store, camouflage might be a great touch (as long as the copy is still legible). However, too much creativity can mark you as a novice, or simply confuse your potential customer. If you're an attorney, don't attempt to use a really colorful or creative design. Stick to a clean, professional look, and "wow" them with beautiful embossing.

This also applies to whether you use a glossy or matte-finish card stock. If your business tends toward the flamboyant, such as a car dealership, then you might want glossy. If it's more conservative, such as an accounting firm, then you'd definitely want matte.

Stick with the standard size

Once again, creativity can get out of control, and if you want your client to store your card, make sure it fits most standard business card holders.

Don't skimp on the card stock

Be sure the paper you use is top quality, with a nice, heavy stock. This is just as important as the design itself.

Include a promotional offer

One great way to make someone treasure your business card is to print an offer on it.  Offers can run the gamut from a percentage off of a purchase, to a free gift with purchase, or "buy one, get one free." Make sure your business card states that it must be presented for the offer to be valid and that you have a way of stamping the card and giving it back, so they don't keep using the offer over and over again.    

Use the valuable space on the back

Many businesses are now including a listing of their services on the back of their card. This helps to remind your potential client or customer what your business is all about.